Chapter 23: Vietnam War

1946 to 1975; longest war and our first defeat; most costly and controversial; 58,000 Americans died

French Indochina

French colony; after WWII the Frech fought against a communist takeover

Ho Chi Minh

leader of the Vietnamese independence movement, communist leader of North Vietnam

Dienbienphu

where the Frech were defeated by the Vietminh that led to Indochina's independence

Hanoi

capital of communist North Vietnam

Saigon

capital of non-communist South Vietnam

Ngo Dinh Diem

dictator of non-communist South Vietnam; he was Catholic

Domino Theory

the belief that a communist victory in one nation would lead to communist victories in neighboring nations

National Liberaation Front

NLF stands for?

NLF

Communists in South Vietnam; nicknamed Vietcong (Vietnamese Commie)

Vietcong

South Vietnamese Communists; nickname for members of the NLF

Buddhists

major religious group in Indochina; minor religious group and French influence in Indochina

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

gave LBJ the authority to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the US and to prevent further aggression; gave LBJ the power to expand US involvement in Vietnam

Army of the Republic of Vietnam

ARVN stands for?

ARVN

name for the South Vietnamese army

Ho Chi Minh Trail

a system of roads/trails (located in the jungles) used to supply Vietcong in South Vietnam

NVA

North Vietnam's regular army

North Vietnam Army

NVA stands for?

General William Westmoreland

commander of US forces in South Vietnam

Tet Offensive

January 1968 NVA and Vietcong attack more than 100 cities and town throughout South Vietnam

Tet

traditional Vietnamese New Year

Walter Cronkite

uch-trusted nightly newscaster in the US

Hawks

those who supported US involvement in Vietnam (for the War)

Doves

those who opposed US involvement in Vietnam; (against the War)

Napalm

a kind of firebomb used in Vietnam

Agent Orange

a highly toxic chemical used by the US in Vietnam to kill plants/jungle areas

Sirhan Sirhan

a Jordian immigrant who shot and killed RFK on June 5, 1968 at the Ambassador Hotel in LA

Vietnamization

Nixon's plan to withdraw US troops from Vietnam and have the ARVN troops do more of the fighting

My Lai Massacre

1968 killing of unarmed Vietnamese civilians (350) by US soldiers in a South Vietnamese village

William Calley

convicted for his role in the My Lai Massacre

Gerald Ford

succeeds Nixon as President; last US president to deal with Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City

Saigon was renamed to this

Boat People

South Vietnamese who flee their country after the communist takeover in 1975

Khmer Rouge

Communist group that takes over Cambodia from 1975-1979; will kill over a million Cambodians during their rule

Pol Pot

the leader of the Khmer Rouge; deposed in 1979 and died in 2003

War Powers Act

passed by Congress in November 1973 to prevent a future Vietnam War; President must inform Congress within two day of any use of American troops in a foreign country; troops must be withdrawn within 60 days if COngress does not agree

The Wall

nickname for Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC; dedicated in 1982 to honor the nation's 58,000 war dead

Maya Lin

designed the Vietnam War memorial in DC

Vietminh

revolutionaries opposed to French occupation of Indochina

Geneva Conference

meeting in Switzerland that divided independent Indochina into 4 countries